Austerity
by Chikara-kun
Summary: Perceptions are skewed at the darkest hours of the night. Sakura tries to ignore odd changes when she goes for a walk before dawn, but it's difficult when everything seems altered.


Pre A/N:

Not proofread, so please excuse me if there are any grammar mistakes. This is a very short chapter. Later chapters will probably be much longer.

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2:58 AM.

Sakura stirs in her bed, her linen sheets stifling her with heat. She feels like there is sweat everywhere on her body, but when she smooths her hand against her pale skin, she does not detect any moisture. It is late July and in Tokyo, it means intense humidity. The air conditioner sounds, but it is weak against the oppressive warmth. She groans and cracks her eyes open, taking in the small slivers of light coming through the windows from the never ending life in Tokyo. Slowly, she runs her hands through her pink bed head and her jade eyes glance towards the clock.

2:59 AM.

It takes a few seconds for the red type to become a concrete thought in her groggy mind as she notices the creaking noises and moans coming from the bedroom next door. She makes a mental note to remind her roommate to keep it down for future nights and decides to leave; the sounds make her feel suffocated.

Turning on her lamp, she crosses her small, but well tidied, room to her closet. She chooses a pair of worn jean shorts and a t-shirt. She slips the shorts on, right leg first, then left. Her nameless blue t-shirt goes on within a second. Her legs lead her to her full length mirror and she takes a look at herself before she leaves.

She is skinny, perhaps a little bit _too_ skinny, her knees are a bit knobby and overall she has a bony look, _oh well_, she acknowledges. She skims over the rest of her appearance. She is not too tall, maybe five foot two, and her skin is pale, and she isn't sure if it's in a good way. She notices her face is pretty in its own style, with her vibrant green eyes, and small face. Her perfectly pink hair falls right to her collar bones and her side swept bangs frame her face in the best way. Sakura thinks she looks decent enough to be out at three in the morning.

She grabs her keys and they jingle loudly. Her wallet is next and then her phone. She heads out of her room, slamming the door for effect, and hopes that her roommate takes notice. She puts on her pink flip flops by the main door, and then slams the door again, hoping to startle her roommate some more. Sakura may be twenty three and a college graduate, but she knows she is still somewhat immature.

Out in the apartment hallway, it is brightly lit with lights, yet there is an eerie silence. She deems it is okay as it is very late into the night. Besides, when she gets outside, the nightlife will consume her and there will be no more feelings of chilling loneliness.

Without hurrying, she makes her way down the the elevator. She notices the buttons are not their usually golden color, but rather, they are black. Sakura supposes they either changed them, or her sleepy mind is playing tricks on her, so she dismisses this small fact. She presses the down button and waits. Her mind starts to zone out as she looks at her surroundings; bland beige walls, white doors, and old brown carpet. Sakura reckons this isn't bad, and it is certainly not as ratty as some other apartment complexes. The elevator dings and breaks her out of her pensive state. Brassy doors open to reveal an austere space and for a second, she is thankful that there is no drunk couple or drunkards in general there.

She steps into the elevator and again, she realizes these buttons are also new. This is strange, and she considers that the landlord may be making some changes. It does not really concern her though, so she ignores it. She reaches out to press for the main lobby and the doors slide shut. The elevator moves tranquilly down to the lower floor and there is another ding, this time signalling Sakura to exit.

The main lobby is luminous, which slightly burns Sakura's eyes, and she takes long strides towards the main doors. She notes that the night guard is nodding off, his double chin increasing in size every time his head tips forward. His hand that is holding a coffee cup slants and the liquid dribbles down his hand. Suddenly, he jerks his head up, as if the burning of the coffee woke him up. The guard looks around, his beady eyes darting back and forth silently. He hopes that no one saw him, but unfortunately for him, there is a pink-haired observer.

Sakura has not yet reached the front desk, so she tries to look away from the guard before he catches looking at him. Before she can avert her eyes though, they make eye contact. They acknowledge each other with a slight nod and Sakura quickens her pace to get through the front doors. Her flip flops leave behind echoes in the slightly vacant lobby as she finally makes her exit towards the city

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A/N: This is a new style I want to try. Plot... I have no idea where this is going. This will be updated sporadically.

P.S. If you got a weird feeling from reading this, that was sort of the purpose.


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